Working class adults who require elective surgery but have no health insurance or inadequate insurance benefits
the Physicianexecutive November • December 2007 25
patient’s own community after they return. Although some travel profes- sionals promote the “tourism” aspect of offshore care, as the seriousness of the medical situation increases, the recreational aspects of travel have diminishing importance. Medical tourism agencies can be easily found on the Internet or in any medical tourism guide. The availability of resources is the issue that most differentiates the traditional international medi- cal patient from the patient in the medical tourism model. In the medi- cal tourism model, the absence of some resource influences or drives the decision about travel for medi- cal services, whereas the traditional
deeply believe that it is unreason- able to choose a provider for poten- tially risky medical therapy based on anything other than medical consid- erations. Finally, physicians in highly litigious nations may be particularly reluctant to endorse offshore treat- ment because of concern about vicarious liability. However, there are many agen- cies that provide services to patients who want offshore medical and surgical care. These agencies help patients select a country, facility and provider. They determine prices and collect payment, assemble and transmit medical records, and arrange travel and accommoda- tions. Additionally, they may arrange for postoperative follow-up in the
2. Patients who desire procedures not covered by insurance such as cosmetic surgery, dental recon- struction, gender reassignment operations, or fertility treatment